Vinayak Rao Tope, grate grand son of Tatya Tope,
the front line leader of 1857 mutiny, the first war of independence

Shivnath Jha, Neena Jha and their son Master Aakash Jha
with the family of Tatya Tope (wife Smt. Saraswati Devi,
daughters Pragati and Tripti and son
Aashutosh at their house in Bithoor in Kanpur in June 2007

Union Railway Munister Lalu Prasad granted
employment to Vinayak Rao Tope's daughters
Pragati and Tripri in Container Corporation of India
on July 4, 2007 on the initiative taken by Neena and Shivnath
to rehabilitate the descendants of forgotten heroes and martyrs.

People of India including the people of Bihar have innate talents and qualities which became dusty under the foreign rule which discredited the Indian institutions and Indian thought processes in order to perpetuate their ownpolicies and thinking with a view to exploiting the Indian resources.Under an independent regime, the innate qualities and thought processes of Indians including those in Bihar are coming to the surface shaking the dust which was settled on it and have demonstrated the world that India can become a resurgent economic power and also be an engine for re-ordering the world thought processes for the good of humanity.All these energies have to be garnered and gathered with able and adept leadership who understands the indigenous psyche of India at its grass-roots and makes everyone an essential partner in development.It is a great hope for India that a person who rose from abysmal poverty can change destinies given the right environment and right initiatives and Lalu Prasad has amply demonstrated the same. Lalu Prasad symbolises social justice and is a virtual mirror image of the down-trodden.

Moved by the plight of fourth generation descendants of Tantya Tope, a frontline leader and martyr of the 1857 Uprising, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today acted as a Samaritan, offering jobs to two daughters of the family in the Railways.

''Pragati and Tripti, the two daughters of Vinayakrao Tope who is the grandson of Tantya Tope, have been given employment in Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) in Kanpur,'' Mr Prasad told reporters.

In a sudden turn of fortunes for the family languishing in extreme poverty and squalor, Mr Vijay Darda, a Rajya Sabha member and owner of Lokmat Group of Newspapers, announced financial assistance of Rs five lakh for them.

Company Affairs Minister Premchand Gupta chipped in with an announcement that the house of Tantya Tope at Bithur, 37 km from Kanpur, would be turned into a memorial. A life-size statue of the martyr would also be installed there.

The announcements for providng succour to the family were made at Rail Bhavan, where Vinayakrao Tope, his wife Saraswati Devi, daughters Pragati and Tripti and son Ashutosh were also present. Pragati is a teacher in the LaxmibaiSchool on a salary of Rs 600 a month. Tripti, a graduate, is still unemployed. Mr Prasad also announced that efforts had been made to release the pension of Vinayakrao's father, which had been suspended since last six-seven years.

Taking action on a plea initiated by “Andolan:Ek Pustak Se”, Mr Prasad said Tantaya Tope played a stellar role during the First War of Independence. ''It is now the duty of the country to repay to the family of those who sacrificed their lives for the country's freedom, especially in view of the the ongoing celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the 1857 Uprising.

'' The Railway Minister also hailed the efforts of the Delhi-based couple Neena Jha and Shivnath Jha, who have launched a nationwide movement "Andolan Ek Pustak Se" two years ago to protect those who brought laurels to the nation.

''We have also decided to provide financial support to Vinayakrao and provide higher education to his children through the sale proceeds of the books -- a monograph on Ustad Bismillah Khan, India Calling and another on Lalu Prasad:India's Miracle,'' the Jha couple said.

Vinayakrao Tope now sells grocery items but earns a pittance -- not enough for the sustenance of the entire family. He opened a small grocery shop in January last year. Earlier, he was able to get some food from his 'jajmans' (masters) by conducting religious ceremonies for them.

Expressing his gratitude to Mr Prasad, he said the bounty for the family was ''unexpected.'' ''In the past, many leaders, including former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, visited us but they gave us only assurance. For the first time, something concrete has happened to the family,'' he said.

In May 1857, when the political storm was gathering momentum against the British rule, Tantya Tope fought along with Nana Saheb Rani Lakshmibai. He was tried by a military court and despatched to the gallows on April 18, 1859.

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According to “Conflict of Evidence” written by an English writer, “after 1857, twelve persons of Tatya Tope’s family, including his father were kept in Gwalior Fort pending investigations into their intecedents. His mother Rukmini Bai and his sister Durga were among the prisoners. They were found to be innocent and were released. Ttatya Tope’s father and members of his family there upon came to Bithoor to settle there. Due to financial difficulties the family broke up; three bothers went away to Nepal. Another brother of Tatya Tope, Ramkrishna Panduran reached Baroda in search on employment. There he met the maharaja and said that he was the brother of Tatya Tope and wanted employment. The manahara apprehending trouble with the government, put the man before the Assistant Resident who took a written statement from him.

Of the questions the officers asked, one was, where is Tatya Tope these days? This was in 1862.

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